Newark Man Accused Of Setting Several Fires

NEWARK, CA — A man accused of starting a string of small fires in Fremont and Newark last week was caught in the act of setting another, according to police.

Fremont officers and firefighters fielded the first call of a fire shortly before last Tuesday after someone reported a piece of furniture ablaze near Thornton Avenue and Balboa Way, police said. Witnesses described the suspect, and officers soon learned of another fire set just minutes earlier in Newark.

Police said that fire damaged a set of stairs outside a building on Cedar Boulevard and credited a passerby with extinguishing the blaze before it could spread. A few minutes later, another piece of furniture was found on fire on Fremont Boulevard, followed by several additional fires reported around the north part of Fremont over 90 minutes. In each case, police said witnesses provided the same general suspect description.

A Fremont police sergeant was searching for the culprit when he saw smoke rising from Thornton Avenue and Interstate 880, police said. The officer drove to the scene and reported a man actively starting another fire in a wooded area.

Police apprehended the man and identified the suspect as Joseph Paulson, 36, of Newark. He was arrested on suspicion of arson of property and possession of flammable material with intent to set fire.

Investigators said no one was injured in the fires, and the damage was primarily contained to vegetation, garbage and abandoned property.

"The response and investigation into the fires set in Fremont and Newark was a collaborative effort between the Fremont Police Department, Fremont Fire Department, Newark Police Department and Alameda County Fire Department," police wrote Thursday. "We want to thank the community for their assistance in reporting suspicious activity."